I’ve just got to 2,000 followers on Twitter. Not 200K, not 20K but 2K. And I’ve been on Twitter since 2015 – so six years to get to 2K. That’s not a great result. But at least I have expertise on how to fail at building a Twitter following! Here are my top tips on how to fail at the Twitter game: Continue reading “How To Fail At Twitter” →

Want to know how the Big Bang sounded?!

27th March 202128th March 2021 BilalBig bangLeave a comment

My head hurts when I think about the Big Bang – the moment when the universe started. How did something come out of nothing? Is there a beginning to time? Is there a multiverse? I recall a conversation I had with Cambridge University Professor on the topic. He wasn’t able to answer all my questions – at least not in way that was satisfying to me, but he did show me what the Big Bang sounded like!

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Time To Get Out Of COVID Hibernation

28th February 202128th February 2021 BilalspringLeave a comment

The past twelve months really have felt like being in hibernation. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. What helps is that spring is upon us, and so there is literally more sunlight each day. After the short dark days of winter, this makes a big difference. Most importantly, we have more visibility on the end of COVID-related lockdowns. I recently got vaccinated and I can tell you it makes a big psychological difference. Hopefully, by the summer, we should return to some normality. Therefore, now is a good time to start making resolutions for the year ahead (I find spring rather than the new year the best time for this). Here are some of my goals:

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The Three Basics For A Start-Up

7th February 20217th February 2021 BilalLeave a comment

The first rule of investing is to survive or put another way to avoid ruin. It’s the same for start-ups, one in five fail in their first year. Thankfully, we’re in year two at Macro Hive, so we’ve done well on this existential metric. When I think about what has allowed us to build a promising business it has to be sticking to the basics:

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Get Inspired, Read Rumi (3 min read)

29th January 202131st January 2021 BilalLife hacks, poetry, rumiLeave a comment

I was recently speaking to a good friend, and we ended talking about the 13th-century poet and mystic Rumi. It reminded me how some words of wisdom are timeless. And in a world today that is full of noise, it’s even more important to be reminded about what is truly important. Here’s a selection of his words that I find especially relevant today*:

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6 TV Shows I’m Loving

16th January 202116th January 2021 BilalLeave a comment

With the COVID lockdown continuing, I’m zipping through TV shows. Here are the recent ones I’ve really enjoyed:

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How To Be Chivalrous (3 min read)

8th January 20219th January 2021 Bilalcharacter, chivalry, mannerLeave a comment

noun /ˈʃɪv.əl.ri/ 1) very polite, honest, and kind behaviour, especially by men towards women 2) the system of behaviour followed by knights in the medieval period of history, that put a high value on honour, kindness, and courage

Chivalry sounds so old-fashioned, but if any tradition needs to be revived perhaps it should be this one. What sparked my interest is a 10th-century book I stumbled across called “The Way Of Chivalry”.

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Who is the most successful person?

5th December 20205th December 2020 Bilal1 Comment

When you google the question, you get a list of the rich and powerful – Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos or Angela Merkel. But why does success have to defined by money or political power? I think the better approach is to personalise the question. So out of all the people you personally know, who is the most successful person? And what word would you associate with that person?

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My Favourite TV Shows of 2020

28th November 202028th November 2020 BilalLeave a comment

I don’t think I’ve watched as much TV as I have this year. It also allowed me to catch up on older shows that I have never seen (The Wire, Game of Thrones). But there were great new shows too. Here are my favourites:

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The 18 Best (non-finance) Podcast Shows of 2020

21st November 202021st November 2020 BilalLeave a comment

I’m a massive podcast junkie. Someone recently asked for my favourite non-finance podcast shows of 2020. I came up with 18! Here they are in alphabetical order…

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Bilal Hafeez

Insights To Live A Better Life

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Want to know how the Big Bang sounded?!

Time To Get Out Of COVID Hibernation

The Three Basics For A Start-Up

Get Inspired, Read Rumi (3 min read)

6 TV Shows I’m Loving

How To Be Chivalrous (3 min read)

Who is the most successful person?

My Favourite TV Shows of 2020

The 18 Best (non-finance) Podcast Shows of 2020